The Class 4A Jeffco League reigns supreme in the latest Post Preps Power Rankings, with four teams in the top 10: No. 1 , No. 2 , No. 3 D’Evelyn and No. 9 Evergreen. Denver Post preps editor Kyle Newman breaks down five things to know for the stretch run of the regular season:
Valor Christian is on a roll
The Eagles (7-0, 3-0) have outscored their three league opponents 12-2, as a balanced offense paced by seniors Camryn Dyke (Notre Dame), Tess Boade (Duke) and Brianna Johnson (Westmont College) has the team looking like a safe bet to make a repeat appearance in the state championship game.
Big league matches down the stretch
The logjam at the top of the league standings will become less congested over the next two weeks, with four pivotal matches that will end up deciding the champion: Wheat Ridge at D’Evelyn (Saturday, 10 a.m. at Lakewood Memorial Field), D’Evelyn at Valor Christian (Tuesday, 7 p.m.), Evergreen at Valor Christian (Friday, 7 p.m.) and Valor Christian at Wheat Ridge (May 2, 7 p.m., LMF).
No shortage of offensive firepower
Wheat Ridge senior Alexandra Nillen leads the league with 24 points while D’Evelyn sophomore phenom Laryssa Hamblen is right on her heels with 23; both players have 11 goals on the season to lead the league as well. And beyond Valor Christian’s primary duo of Dyke and Boade, freshman Addisyn Hyrup, Golden senior Rylee Wyckoff and Evergreen senior Sofia Weiner are among the top strikers in the classification.
Don’t sleep on unranked league teams
Golden, Green Mountain, and Littleton are all capable of spoiling one of the favorite’s bid for a league title. Golden pressed D’Evelyn for an upset before finally conceding a goal in the 77th minute of a 1-0 loss on Thursday, and Green Mountain dominated two 5A teams earlier in the season — evidence of the depth of this league from top to bottom.
Teams from north, south threaten Jeffco reign
With Valor Christian at the forefront, it seems likely the Jeffco League will have at least one Final Four representative, if not a couple more depending on how the state bracket shakes out. But standing in the way of Jeffco’s 4A supremacy are a number of challengers from outside the Denver metro area. Down south, No. 5 , No. 6 Lewis-Palmer and No. 8 are all potent, as are northern programs, as epitomized by No. 4 Windsor.
